Hamed does little to enhance his status

This was simply no contest

This was simply no contest. Like a cat toying with the most inept of mice, Naseem Hamed contemptuously dismantled the flimsy challenge of Juan Cabrera of Argentina to retain his WBO and IBF featherweight titles in two rounds at Wembley arena on Saturday night.It was the Sheffield man's eighth world title fight in less than two years, and also the least competitive. Cabrera, a six-day substitute, was still on his feet when the fight was stopped after taking a fearful beating. His bravery was not in question, but he failed to land a single meaningful punch.For the first time, Hamed's talents were showcased on coast-to-coast terrestrial television in the United States. ABC were reportedly pleased with what they saw. But it has to be questionable whether Hamed's reputation will be enhanced by his participation in this sort of massacre. Even the most one-eyed sports fan normally prefers just a hint of competitive action.Empty seats in the famous old auditorium, not used for professional boxing since Oliver McCall beat Lennox Lewis in 1994, showed the public is not fooled. Brilliant though Hamed certainly is, he needs more credible opposition to maintain his box office appeal.Hamed arrived in the ring after his usual, narcissistic orgy of danc- ing, muscle flexing and preening after Cabrera had entered to the amplified strains of Don't Cry For Me Argentina. Maybe Oh What A Circus Oh What A Show would have been more appropriate.When the fight finally began, a sickening right uppercut soon exploded onto Cabrera's chin. If there was any doubt that he should not have been in the same ring as the champion, it was dispelled there and then as his legs stiffened and he wobbled backwards.Hamed had predicted he would win in the second round, and the gamblers were listening. Bookies were offering odds of just 11 to 8 against him fulfilling the prediction. Many of his friends, cornermen and supporters stood to get rich. Hamed, mindful of the plot, stood back and flexed his hips allowing Cabrera to survive.In the second, standing firmfooted to generate maximum impact with his punches, Hamed went to work. A ringside punch count suggested he landed 26 head shots on the 22-year-old Argentinian, with just one thrown back in return. A barrage of blistering uppercuts and hooks smashed into Cabrera, each thrown with frightening power, before referee Lou Moret mercifully called a halt after two minutes 17 seconds of the round.Hamed said: "His performance was wicked. He was game and he wanted to take the shots. But my predictions are coming true and you have to be a believer. Now the Americans know what we know. The best featherweight in the world is from Sheffield."People are entertained, and I know that, pound for pound, I am the biggest puncher in the world at any weight. Nobody can stand up to the power of the Prince."If they put me in with Espinoza (the WBC champion) or Vasquez (the WBA holder) the result will be the same. I will just take them out."Promoter Frank Warren is hopeful he will be able to stage a unification match involving Hamed in the autumn, possibly on the same bill as a super middleweight showdown between WBO champion Steve Collins and the WBA holder Frankie Lyles, who kept his title with a points win over Zaffarou Ballagou of Togo in Nashville on Saturday."It isn't easy," said Warren. "We're dealing with people who want stupid money, and organising bodies who don't seem to want one champion. Naz is good for the sport, but he has to have real fights. He is the best fighter in the world. The problem is everybody knows that now and they either avoid him or want millions."